by kevin Olson
The Formula T
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he little pronoun “we” occurs hundreds of times within the Formula of Concord. The weight it carries is easily overlooked. Its presence implies an appeal for unity. It implies boundaries. It implies that thoughtful readers will have to consider if they are part of the “we” when they encounter the oft-repeated phrase, “We believe, teach, and confess ...” Such was the case for thousands of theologians, pastors, and civic leaders who read the final draft in 1577. Among those, 8,188 signed their names in agreement. That “concord” ultimately led to the Formula taking its place among the other Lutheran confessional documents within the Book of Concord (1580). Achieving this agreement was difficult. During the first few decades after the death of Martin Luther in 1546, there was an attempt to establish some level of unity among Lutheran churches in Germany. It wasn’t just a project for the theologians. Princes and other political leaders also longed for peace, for a variety of reasons, and offered both financial and diplomatic support to the effort. By 1552 Lutheranism had divided into roughly two camps. Despite the split both sides hoped a common doctrinal confession could emerge. The teachings found in the Augsburg Confession were the basis for that hope. The Formula covers twelve areas of teaching
(“articles”) where differences had developed among some of the theologians of the Augsburg Confession. The first part is called the Epitome, or summary. It begins with a brief but significant section describing the “rule and norm” by which all doctrines are judged. Holy Scripture is set apart as the only “judge, rule, and norm.” All other writings are merely witnesses of scriptural truths. The authors then list the writings they considered to be “faithful witnesses.” These documents, including the Formula, make up the Book of Concord and today we simply refer to them as the Lutheran confessions. The Epitome then addresses each article by providing three things: an overview, a list of affirmative theses, and a list of antitheses. The overview consists of a few paragraphs laying out the issue at hand, typically in the form of a question. The affirmative theses are statements declaring what Lutherans “believe, teach, and confess” regarding the issue. The antitheses are statements declaring what Lutherans reject regarding the issue. It is important to note here that, without exception, the affirmative theses for each article contain Scripture references. You do get the sense that the authors took seriously their role as faithful biblical witnesses. The second part of the Formula is called the Solid Declaration. Here the various rationale underlying the
